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Indian researchers have presented a new way to develop effective electrode materials for super-powerful redox flow battery (RFB) systems. Its heat-treated nickel-rich platinum-nickel cladding flow cell over the graphite filter provided an impressive, never-before-seen power density of about 1,550 mW cm-2.
Unlike their cousins, vanadium redox flow batteries (RFBs), which suffer from a low intrinsic energy density, zinc-bromine RFBs have high theoretical energy densities (440 Wh/kg). However, the poor kinetics and reversible misbehavior of the Br2/Br- redox activity pose significant barriers to realizing this potential.
To increase the efficiency of the flow cell, researchers at the Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI) in India have developed an electrode based on a bimetallic platinum-nickel alloy (PtNi) with graphite (GF) filter support. Flow cells with electrodes decorated with three-dimensionally structured GF metal particles showed impressive performance under all tested conditions.
The Ni-rich Pt0.5Ni1@HT-GF flow cell achieved a superpower density of about 1550 mW cm-2, higher than that of a 1260 mW cm-2 GF-based flow cell. The cycle life showed excellent stability up to 15 years. Cycle life showed excellent stability up to 300 cycles, with coulomb, voltage, and energy efficiency of 97%, 86%, and 83%, respectively.
According to the researchers, the improvement in the redox kinetics parameters is due to the highly electrocatalytic nature of the thermally treated Ni-rich PtNi coating deposited on the GF. In the test process, the sample cell was subjected to different current densities, from 20 to 140 mA cm-2.
Taking into account the high cost of platinum, the metal content was reduced to a minimum and the redox reaction was increased thanks to the catalytic activity of nickel. The bimetallic catalyst was deposited on the 3D GF grid electrode by a chemical reduction method.
The new research is said to offer a promising approach to developing effective electrode materials for a super-powerful RFB system. The scientists report their findings in “ Nanocatalyzed PtNi Alloy Intact @3D Graphite Felt as an Effective Electrode for Super Power Redox Flow Battery ”, recently published in Advanced Materials. |
